Part of North Berwick Law will be de-listed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, according to plans announced by Scottish National Heritage.

The land – a field at Heugh Brae which was included in the original site of the Law but has been used for farming for a number of years – will lose its status.

However, there will be no change to the remainder of the site, listed mainly due to the presence of lowland calcareous grassland.

The grass, a traditional feature of Scottish land, is in decline and supports a range of wildlife, many of which is unable to live elsewhere.

However, the land being de-listed does not contain the feature, which is also present at Traprain Law.

Scottish National Heritage explained in a statement: “The area we are proposing to de-notify is an agricultural field and some housing; this area does not contain the important grassland feature.

“From old aerial imagery of the site it appears that the field has been in agriculture since before 1950 and the housing has been present for over 20 years.” The Law is one of a pair of SSSI-listed sites near the town, alongside Bass Rock.